Advertising machine



P 1936- c. w. HESS ET AL ADVERTISING MACHINE Filed Aug. 28, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS C ecr/ W/lbur Hess BY 3a yard ATTOENEY I Sept. 22, 1936. c. w. HESYS ET ALv 2,054,879

ADVERTISING MACHINE F ild Aug. 28, 1953 4 She ets-Sheet 2 Y 2 ATTOENEY 4 Sheets- Sheet 3 c. w. HESS ET.AL

Filed Aug. 28, 1933 ADVERTISING MACHINE.

FIG. 8

1/25 Hess I Bayard REY" Sept. 22, 1936.

Sept; "22, 1936. c. w.' HESS ET AL I I ADVERTISING MACHINE Filed Ail 28, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS v Cec/I M/bur/r'ess y Bayard 6/1050 U ATTOENI E Y Patented Sept. 22, 1936 canes STATE ADVERTlSING"MACHINE' Cecil Wilbur He'ss'and Bayard Sharp,v Alameda,

Calif V Application Augusta. 19ss'jseria1 N6.-ss7,052

7. Claims;

The invention relates to a machine for display in-g advertising matter and particularly tofa device by which a plurality of show-cards or plates may be successively displayedto the public. f

It is particularly adapted to theu'se of stores in that one portion of the machine may be utilized for showing current store advertising of temporary nature Whereas another portion of the machine may be devoted to more or less permanent advertising such as may be the subjectof contract or other arrangement under which standard advertisingmatter may be shown over substantial periods of time. 7

In its simplest form the invention comprises a cabinet provided with windows or glazed open ings through which the show-cards or plates may be seen. Suitable mechanism is included so that at given intervals the exposed show-cards or plates are replaced by others so that new matter may be successively displayed to any extent consistent with the size and capacity of the machine. It'is an object of the present invention to devise a machine by which show-cards or plates mounted in suitable frames may be successively brought to view, exposed for a given interval andthen removed icr later showing. I

Another object is to providein a single apparatus means for showin'g two types of advertising matter, successively and synchronously changed.

Another object is to develop apparatus for changing advertising matter in a'display cabinet so that the eye is attracted and attention drawn to the display. 7

Another object is to develop apparatus which is compact in form and attractive in appearance, by

V which alarge number of difierent plates orcards may be successively displayed.

Another object is to devise apparatus for 'displaying advertising matter which is entirely auto-. matic in operation and capable of running for extended periods without attention.

Another object is to produce'apparatus Tor-successively displaying advertising matter in the form of cards or plates by which a single car-d ing the remainder, or the entire set of cards or plates may be changed with a minimum of effort.

or plate may be readily replaced without disturb- Other objects, novel features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a typical embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying. drawings which are a part of this specification.

In its preferred embodiment the machine 'is enclosed in a cabinet provided with windows or glazed openings through which theadvertisin'g matteris' exposed, the remainder of the cabinet being of wood, metal orbtheropaque material servingto shield the operating mechanism from view.

Throug h one window which may be of standard car-card size, separate cards or platesof like size may be displayed, and another window preferably of larger size serves to show a plurality of smaller car'ds-or' plates mounted on the flat faces of revolving drums or prismswh-ich are successively exposed in synchronism with the cha'nges of the first "named 'cards'or pl'ates l Thecard changing mechanism and the drum or prism revolving means may be operated by a suitable'electric motor which in turn may becontrolled by a well knownclock device whereby the machine may be automatically'set in motion for predetermined time periods and shut off when desired. i

In the drawings wherein like characters are used todesignate like parts- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the cabinet showing the windows through which the-respective cards '"or platesand the revolving card or plate carrying drums or prisms are exposed.

Fig/2 is a rear elevation of the cabinet with the back removed to show the mechanism.

"Fig. 3 is aside sectional view showing the relationship between the card or plate holding magazine "and the revolving drums or prismsf Fig. 4' is an inside view of one'sid e'plate of the card or plate holding magazine showing the supporting means for the several card carrying frames. I

Fig. '5-is a-top view of one side plate of the card or plate holding magazine.

Fig. '6 a side view of one side plate of the card or plate holding magazine. v

Fig. '7 'is'a frontview of a spool assembly carried by an endless chain whereby the separate card 4 or plate carrying frames may be successively brought into view and returned to unexposed position.

Fig.8 is -a side view of the'spool assembly. FigjQis a detail of a latch assembly whereby theseparate card or plate carrying frames are successively supported in exposed position in the upper portion of the magazine, passed through the said magazine and released for subsequent showing."

Fig. 10 is a top view'of the latch assembly.

Fig, 'l-lji's a detail of one'portio-n of "the latch assembly in position to permit a card carrying frame enter into supported condition in said magazine. f

Fig. is a front view of the crank shaft as sembly between two horizontally adjacent drums or prisms.

Fig. 16 is a front view of a crank device which is a part of the mechanism whereby the several drums or prisms are made to revolve in unison I and to like degree.

In the drawings, 20 represents the enclosing cabinet for the machine and is provided with windows or glazed openings 2| and 22, through the former of which the separate plates or cards 23 are exposed and through the latter the flat faces of the drums or prisms 24 are displayed. A clock 25 maybe included and it may be of the customary type used to operate an electric switch at predetermined intervals.

Within cabinet 20 and above window 2| is a reflecting hood 26 provided with electric lamp 2! so that light is directed onto the outermost card 23 in its card carrying frame 28, as exposed to view through the said window.

An electric motor designated by 29 is placed in any convenient location within the cabinet 20 and is connected by suitable reduction gears 30 to the drive shaft 3|. Mounted on the drive shaft at both ends are sprocket wheels 32 carrying endless chains 33 which pass on either side of magazine 34 which is of proper size and shape to. contain a number of cards or plates 23 in suitable frames 28 in its lower portion and an equal number in its upper portion.

At the top of magazine 34 are sprocket wheels 35 aligned with sprocket wheels 32 and carrying chains 33. Mounted in each chain 33 is a spool assembly 36 which is shown in detail in Fig. 7 and Fig, .8, Referring particularly to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, 31 represents a pin replacing one of the conventional pins of the chain 33 and having an elongated portion extending beyond the chain 33 and provided with a rectangular enlarged head 38.

On the elongated portion of pin 31 between the chain 33 and the enlarged head 38 is disposed a spool 39 which is free to revolve on the pin 3?. Pin 31 is held against revolution by means of cotter pin 40 which passes through suitable holes in the end of pin 3'! and in the end of the special pin 4| of chain 33 next adjacent.

The card or plate carrying frames 28 inthe magazine 34 are preferably of light-weight metaland are rectangular in shape and designed for ready insertion of plates or cards 23 therein. The number of frames used depends on the depth of the magazine 34 and in this case there are nineteen frames, of which ten are disposed in the upper section of the magazine and nine' in the lower section during the particular interval of the cycle indicated inFig. 3.

Each frame is provided with wedge-shaped projections 42 sloping toward the rear of the magazine 34 at the bottom and sloping toward the front at the top, and at the center of the sides of each frame are pairs of projecting lugs 43 spaced apart and presenting flat horizontal faces to each other.

On each side of the magazine 34 is a plate 44 provided with a guide l9 which holds the frames 28 in horizontal relationship between the chains 33. Plate 44 is provided with vertical slots 45 and 46 on line with the chain travel, the thickness of the plate 44 being slightly less than the distance between the flanges of the spool 39 and the width of the slots 45 and 46 being 7 slightly greater than the diameter of the spool itself.

Slots 45 and 46 have lower offset portions 41 and 48, the slots being deflected outwardly for a short distance at and below the line of the lugs 43 of the lower frames 28 in the magazine 34, and slots 45 and 46 have similar upper offset portions 49 and 50 at and above the line of the lugs 43 of the upper bank of frames 28.

The lower bank'of frames 28 rests on the bottom of the magazine 34 on the bottom wedge shaped projections 42 of the frames, said projections being flattened on their bottoms to provide asliding bearing on the bottom of the magazine The upper bank of frames is supported by means of the shelves 5| projecting inwardly from each side of the magazine between the lugs 43 of the upper frames and providing a sliding bearing with the flat surfaces of the upper lugs.

At the extremities of shelves 5! are movable supports 52 and 53 which act as extensions of shelves 5| during certain portions of the cycle and are capable of being withdrawn from their supporting relationship at other times as hereinafter described.

Supports 52 and 53 are controlled respectively by latches 54 and 55 which are in operative relationship thereto.

The construction and operation of latches 54 and 55 may be undertood by reference to Figs. 9,

g 10, 11 and 12 in which the plate 44, the slots 45 and 46, the shelf 5| and a flange of the spool 39 are shown. The support 52 is'a part of member 56 which is pivoted at 51 and the support 52 is normally on the same horizontal line as shelf 5| and when in such position acts as a continuation of the shelf.

Member 56 is provided with a vertical face 58 which is normally but of the path of the spool 39, and a stop 59 which engages the pin 69 when in this position. A tension spring 6| tends to hold supporting member in the normal position shown.

Latch member 54 is pivoted on pin 60 and is provided with a pin 62 by which its movement may be transmitted by means of a suitable slot 63 in member 56 surrounding said pin 62. Latch member 54 has an elongated inclined section 64 normally extending into the path of the spool 39 and across the slot 46, and terminating in a substantially vertical face 65 and a shoulder 66.

Support 53 is a part of member 61 which is pivoted at 68 and is provided with stop 69 engaging the pin 10 and is normally on the same horizontal line as shelf 5| similar to that of support 52. Member 61 is held in normal position by the spring 6| and is provided with a slot H to engage the pin 12 in the latch member 55.

The latch 'member 55 is pivoted on the pin 19 and is provided'with a shoulder '53 and a substantially vertical extension 14 both in the path of the spool 39 in the slot 45. Leading from the extension. 14 is an inclined portion 15 which teror ratchet "wheel' 86 and the -ratchets- 93 do-=not member '54 and the supporting member 56 it' en gages the elongated. inclined section :64 which causes latch member 54 to move on .its pivot pin 8.8 which in turn moves the member 58cm its piv t 51 by means of pin 62 and slot 63 causing" support '52 to drop from its horizontal position so it is out of the path of the rectangular head 38 carriedtby spool 39. 1

As the :spool :39 continues its upward movement past the section 65 and the shoulder 86 the support :52 is maintained "in its dropped position as shown :in Fig. 11 until the spool 39 strikes'the' face 58 of support member 56 causing the member to return to its normal position with'the face 58 out of the path of spool 39 and the stop 59 in engage-- ment with the pin 68.

When the .spool39 is moving downward in the slot 45 past the support member 61 and the latch member '55 it strikes the shoulder 13 of the latch member 55 and the vertical extension 14 causing the support member 61 to move on the pivot 68 and dropping the-support 53'out of the path of the rectangular head .38 carried by spool 39. The

support member 61 is held in this position until the. spool 39 engages the inclined portion 150i the latch member 55 which is then released to return the same and the support member 61 to normal position by the tension of the spring Bl.

. Prisms 24 are preferably of metal and are supported at their ends by bearings 18 and rods 11 carried by vertical supports 18. The faces of the prisms may be covered with translucent, light diffusing glass plates against which cards having cut out or otherwise-contrasting letters or figures or colored designs may be inserted so that any desired wording or display may be shown in illuminated form by means of transmitted light from electric lamps 19 supported within the respective prisms. v r

v The respective prisms are interconnected by means of crank connecting rods '88 so'that all re-- volve simultaneously and tothe same degree. The connecting rods .80 are pivoted on cranks 8i and B2 spaced 90 degrees apart in the customary manner to avoid dead centering. The motion of the prisms is derived from the driving shaft 3| through gears 83 and 84, the latter being provided with an eccentricaily mounted reciprocating member 85 which cooperates with ratchet wheels 86 and 81.

The construction and operation of the prism revolving mechanism is shown in detail on Fig. 13. Referring to this figure; reciprocating member 85 is pivoted at 88 on gear 84. The reciprocating member is provided with a bifurcated end 89 which spans the ratchet wheels 86 and 81 and engages these wheels by means of the pin 98 which is inserted through suitable holes drilled in the bifurcated end of member 85.

Ratchet wheel 86 is free to revolve on rod 11 and is provided with a hub 99 and with five ratchets, four of which 9| are of shallow depth, the fifth 92 being of substantially greater depth. Ratchet wheel 81 is keyed to one prism 24 and is adjacent to and concentric with ratchet wheel 86. It is provided with three ratchets 93 corresponding to the number of faces on the prism. The 'out-' reach to 'the base of the shallow (depth ratchets 94 of ratchet wheel 88' but extend beyond the baseof the deeper ratchet -92.

Thus when the member 35 is :reciprocated by means .of' its-eccentric mounting on gear 84 it engages the shallow ratchets 9| of ratchet wheel 86 by means of the pin 98 successivelyuntil with everylfifth movement the pin 98 passes into the deeper ratchet 1-92 and .drops into engagement with a ratchet 93 of ratchet wheel '81, moving thesamea distance corresponding to the throw of member 85 andturning the prism 24 towhic'h it' is keyed so as to expose another face of theprism to view through window 22. By means cf the before mentioned QO-degree crank connecting rods between the various prisms, all of the prisms M .are likewise and simultaneously turned. To prevent ratchet wheel 86 from revolving in a'reverse direction on the return stroke of reciprocating member 85 a brake '94 for the outer circumference of the hub 98 may be provided. In this instance the brake consists of a strip of wood held'zby rod 11 at one end and'f rictiona'l lysurrounding hub 99 at the other. The strip-is out out or sawn as at 95 and the desired braking effect is accomplished by the nut -96, the spring 91 and the screw 88 whereby the frictional bearing .of thebrake '94 may be yieldab'ly adjusted.

The. operation of the apparatus may :be understood from the following description of a complete cycle, assuming the relative position of the variousparts'to be as shown in Fig. 3 and 'Fig. 4.

Motor 29 is started by a manual switch or by the clock 25 through mechanism that need. not be shown or'described. Sprocket wheels '32. are caused to revolve 'in' a clock-wise direction and the chains 33 start their travel between sprocket wheels 32 and'35. lnasmuchlas the card changing mechanism is the same on both sides'of the magazine 34 the operation will be described in the singular; it being understood that there are two sets of sprockets, chains, spools; etc.

The spool 39 is carried downward by the chain 33 until it enters the slot '45, the enlarged rec-. tangular head-38 of the spool pin being adjacent and on a line with the rearmost card carrying frame 28. As the spool moves down the slot'it enters the upper offset portionAS which draws the rectangular head 38 out of the line of the-card carrying frame 28 and clearing 'the' uppermost of the pair of lugs t3 thereon. As the spool leaves the upper offset portion 4:9'i-t draws the head 38 between'the lugs 43 and at the same time it releases the latch 55 and drops the support 53 of the support member 61 out of engagement with the lugs 43;

The rearmost frame 28 is now carried from the upper to the lower portion of the-magazine by the engagement of the head 38 with the lugs 43; The wedge-shaped projections 42 on the bottom of the frame slide-against the corresponding projections on the top of the frame below causing the latter'frame to move forward as it is displaced by the descending frame.

When the spool '39 reaches the lower'soffset 41 of the slot 35 it draws the head 38 out of engagement with the lugs 43 of the frame which now rests on the bottom of the magazine at the rear of the bank of frames therein, the entire bank having been moved forward by the wedging action-described.

The spool 39 now passes out ofthe slot'lii, under sprocket wheel '32 and upwardly the opposite slot 46 until it reaches the lower offset 48 which is located below the line of lugs 43 on the lower bank of card carrying frames. The rectangular head 38 of the spool pin 31 is drawn around the lower lug of the pair of lugs 43 of the foremost card carrying frame and enters the space between the said pair of lugs as the spool 39 leaves the offset portion 48 of the slot, the flat face of the rectangular head engaging the fiat lower face of the upper of the lugs 43 of the card carrying frame.

It will be noted that the upper and lower bearing surfaces of the rectangular head 38 are maintained generally parallel with the flat bearing surfaces of the lugs 43, by being normally held at right angles to the line of the chain 33 by means of the cotter pin 40 connecting the pin 3! to the adjacent pin of the chain 33 on the leading or tension side.

The spool 39 in its further upward travel in the slot 46 carries with it the card carrying frame by the engagement of the rectangular head 38 with the lugs 43 as described, and the card carrying frame displaces the card carrying frame next above by the wedging action of the respective wedge-shaped sections 42 on the top and bottom of the respective card carrying frames, the upper bank of card carrying frames being forced backward on the supporting shelf 5| and the extensions or supports 52 and 53.

When the spool 39 enters the upper offset portion 50 of the slot 46 it moves the support 52 out of the path of the upper lug 43 of the card carrying frame and during its passage through the offset portion 50 brings the support 52 into engagement with the lower flat face of the upper lug 43 and releases the rectangular head 38 of the spool pin 31 from lifting engagement with the said fiat face so that the card carrying frame is left on the support 52 as the spool 39 continues in its upward travel in the slot 46.

The cycle is then repeated and so on until the power is shut off by means of the switch operated manually or by the clock 25 which may be set to render the whole assembly operative or inoperative for predetermined time periods as desired.

It is thus seen that in one cycle of operation the rearmost card carrying frame 28 of the upper section of the magazine is carried to the lower section displacing the bank of frames forwardly, so that the foremost of the lower bank of frames is placed in a position to be carried upwardly, displacing the foremost of the upper bank of card carrying frames and the other frames of the upper bank rearwardly.

During each cycle which contemplates a single change of card carrying frames in the exposed or display position the sprocket wheels 32 and 35 make approximately five revolutions and the gears controlling the revolution of the prisms '24 are proportioned to provide 5 strokes of the member 85 for each cycle. The member 85 makes five reciprocations on the ratchet wheels 86 and 81 as previously described, each fifth stroke being with the pin 90 in operative engagement with a ratchet on ratchet wheel 81. During such fifth stroke the ratchet wheel 8'! and the prism 24 to which it is connected is revolved through 120 degrees or one-third of a complete revolution, thereby exposing a new face of the said prism. The various prisms 24 are interconnected by gears or suitable cranks 81 and 82 and rods 80 so that when one prism is turned the others are simultaneously turned to a like degree.

It will be borne in mind that the mechanism for changing the card carrying frames, and re-' volving the prisms is hidden from view and the only movements seen through the windows 2| and 22 are the periodic displacement of the exposed card carrying frame and the synchronous turning of the prisms 24 at like intervals. Thus for a small proportion of a complete cycle both the upper and lower displays arein process of change and for the remaining larger portion they are stationary insofar as public view is concerned. It is obvious that the interval of display can be lengthened or shortened by adjusting the relationship between the speed of the motor 29 and the reduction gear 30. V

While a particular form of apparatus has been illustrated and described, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited thereby, and it is obvious that many modifications may be made in details of parts and methods of operation without departing from the spirit of the invention or circumscribing the scope of the invention as embraced by the following appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an advertising machine, a magazine, a plurality of card carrying frames therein having projecting lugs attheir sides, said card carrying. frames being disposed in said magazine in two banks in vertical alignment with each other, means in said magazine for supporting the upper of said banks by engagement With said projecting lugs, means for engaging the said projecting lugs to successively and separately transfer the said card carrying frames between the said banks to and from said supporting means and wedge-shaped projections'at the tops and bottoms of said frames whereby the said frames being transferred displace the said banks horizontally. 7

2. In an advertising machine, a magazine, card carrying frames therein having pairs of projecting lugs on opposite sides, shelves having movable extensions within said magazine supporting a plurality of said card carrying frames, by engagement with said. lugs, a second pluralityof said card carrying frames in vertical alignment with the first named, supported on the bottom of said magazine, an endless chain adjacent the said magazine, a member carried by said chain, a guide for said member whereby the member is brought into operative engagement with the said projecting lugs to successively move the said card carrying frames between their respective supports and release the member from engagement thereafter, means associated with said member to move the shelf extensions out of supporting engagement when the said card carrying frames are being moved to and from the said shelf, and means to return the said shelf extensions to supporting position after the said card carrying frames are'so moved.

3. In advertising machine, a magazine, banks of vertical card carrying frames therein, pairs of projecting lugs on opposite sides of said frames and wedge members on their tops and bottoms, shelves within said magazine, movable end extensions for said shelves, one of said banks of frames being supportedby said lugs on said shelves and another of said banks of frames being supported on the bottom of said magazine, plates on the sides"of said magazine, vertical slots in said plates in line with the outermost frames of the said banks, said slots having outwardly deflected portions adjacent the said projecting lugs of the respective frames when in supported position, an endlesschain in, line with said slots,

a pin carried by said chain, a spool on said pin 7 named bank, rotatable drums having fiat faces adapted to travel in said slots, a head on said pin cooperating with said lugs and means cooperating with the movable end extensions of said shelves whereby the said extensions are moved out of supporting relationship with said frames when the frames are successively moved to and from the said shelves by said pin, and means to return the said extensions to supporting relationship thereafter.

4. An advertising machine comprising a cabinet, windows therein, a magazine in said cabinet, supporting means in said magazine adjacent one of said windows, a plurality of plates having means thereon cooperating with said supporting means whereby the outermost plate is exposed through said window, a plurality of similar plates in said magazine in vertical alignment with the first named plurality, a horizontal rotatable drum having flat faces, one of which is exposed through another of said windows, means engaging said cooperating means successively and separately to transfer the said plates between thesaid pluralities to and from the said supporting means, and means cooperating with the plate transferring means for rotating the said drum successively to expose the flat faces thereof whereby the displays through the said windows are periodically changed.

5. An advertising machine comprising a cabinet, windows therein, a magazine in said cabinet, supporting means in said magazine adjacent one of said windows, a bank of plates having lugs thereon engaging said supporting means whereby the outermost plate is exposed through said window, a bank of similar plates disposed in said magazine in vertical alignment with the first exposed through another of said windows, means engaging the said lugs successively to transfer the said plates between the said banks to and from the said supporting means, and means cooperating with the plate transferring means for rotating the drums successively to expose the flat faces thereof whereby the displays through the said windows are periodically changed.

6. In an advertising machine, a magazine, a plurality of card carrying frames disposed therein in separate banks in vertical alignment, means in said magazine for supporting one of said banks, engaging means on said card carrying frames cooperating with said supporting means, means cooperating with said engaging means to successsively and separately transfer the said card carrying frames between the said banks to and from said supporting means and means distinct from said supporting means for displacing the said banks horizontally.

7. In an advertising machine, a magazine, a plurality of card carrying frames therein having lugs at their sides, said card carrying frames being disposed in said magazine in separate banks in vertical alignment, means in said magazine for supporting one of said banks by engagement with said lugs, means for engaging the said lugs to successively and separately transfer the said card carrying frames between the said banks to and from said supporting means and separate means associated with the said card carrying frames whereby the frames being transferred displace the said banks horizontally.

CECIL WILBUR HESS. BAYARD SHARP. 

